The Beast Of Knockturn Alley
by Kamiccola
Summary: When his chains fail, Remus Lupin must step out of his comfort zone and face the beast within. Will an encounter with other werewolves save him or damn him further?
1. Summer surprises

_**A/N:** I started this story with separate writing prompts and it sort of took a life of its own. I'm open to suggestions where you want it to go. I predict some drama up ahead but what will be the resolution?_

_There is no clear plot link between this and my other stories but I consider this Remus to be the same Remus you'll see in__ Hogwarts Prank Club__._

_But here, Remus is just a teen wolf dealing with his teen wolf issues (no correlation to Teen Wolf fandom intended - though, who knows what future prompt inspires me, maybe we need some Scott and Stiles intervention, lol)._

_The awesome characters from Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling. _

* * *

**Part 1. Summer Surprises**

Good surprises were a myth.

A good surprise would have been:

_Hey, they've invented a cure to lycanthropy. _

Or something like:

_Guess what, there's no full moon this month. You're moon-free for the entire summer holiday._

"On Merlin's beard! That's a good surprise. Thank you!"

No. In real life, surprises were cruel and vindictive. Surprises were to be feared.

Remus glared at the heavy metal links in his hands and couldn't believe that after so many years of being careful, he allowed this to happen. He should've inspected his chains earlier.

But maybe he was wrong and the enchantments still held.

He wrapped the chain around a metal pole and pulled hard. After only some effort - human effort - one of the links broke, unravelling it all.

He let it fall to the ground through his numb fingers. This wasn't happening. He had only a few hours left until the full moon and could already feel its effect - it made his skin crawl from the inside, calling to him, enticing him with promises of reckless power. His wolf was itching to come out.

He put his face in his hands and lamented. Only few hours. What was he going to do?

But the solution was simple. He needed a new chain.

* * *

Diagon Alley was quiet this evening. The shops were closing down, most shoppers had already gone home. Good. He shouldn't be around humans today.

Remus bent down and pretended to tie his shoe, but really, he was checking if he was being followed. No one paid him any attention, so he quietly slipped into the Knockturn Alley, throwing a hood over his head, feeling like a criminal. He was a beast today - that was close enough comparison.

A foul smell of the street vendor's cart wafted in his direction, and it reminded him of rotten food. He passed it in a rush, careful to not let his hood slip.

Some of the dark Alley's shops only now opened up for business, just in time for the dodgy nighttime patrons who started to apparate onto the cobblestone street, each draped in a black cloak. It was common to hide your face in the Alley, and today, he was one of them.

Remus quietly snuck into Mort's Hard-Were Shop, closed the door after himself and reluctantly lowered his hood, not wanting to be impolite.

The only person in the small cluttered shop was a short teenage girl who was looking at the wolf t-shirts on sale. He tried to not stare at her, though it was difficult to not notice her shaved head and multiple ear piercings glinting in the candlelight.

He walked up to the counter and searched for the shopkeeper, eager to get this over with.

The girl put the hanger back on the rod, walked up to him and craned her neck.

"Hi."

Remus smiled politely but didn't know what to say.

She put a hand on her hip and chewed her gum loudly while looking up at him. "What are you buying?"

"I like to keep my purchases private," he murmured, unsure of how he could get rid of her. He did not want witnesses. Where was the shopkeeper?

She picked up one of the mugs on the counter.

"My pack has my back mugs are so cheap now, it's like a steal. They're on sale for only six sickles."

"Not that."

She blew a large bubble and waited until it exploded with a pop, then pulled the gum back in with her tongue while squinting at him, her dark-gray eyes judging him.

"Then, what do you want?"

Remus didn't know what to do. This girl made him want to leave the store right now but where else would he get what he needed?

"I'll just wait for the shopkeeper. He should be back soon," he said and leaned over the counter, trying to see behind the shop divider.

Why didn't this store have one of those bells you could ring to let the shopkeeper know that you're waiting?

She turned on her heel, marched away, and to his surprise, she got behind the counter, tilted her head and curtsied with a fake smile.

"You could wait for him until next week or deal with his daughter. Now, what do you want?"

He blinked at her in surprise and watched her blow another giant bubble. She held his gaze defiantly as the bubble popped. She gestured at the store and raised her eyebrows as if she was asking him a question.

So he had no choice. It had to be her. Remus took a long breath and reminded himself that he had no other options and was running out of time.

"I need a chain with strong-enough enchantments to trap a juvenile werewolf."

She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. "Who are you planning to trap with that chain?"

He really didn't like admitting this out loud. The usual shopkeeper was more discreet than this girl.

"Myself," he said quietly.

She looked him up and down and lingered on his face. He tried to not let it bother him though he hated when people stared. He really preferred it when they believed the cursed scars on his face came from a childhood encounter with an enchanted rose bush, but once they knew he was a werewolf, they quickly made the connection.

She sighed heavily and leaned one hand on the counter. "We're all out of chains. You should've done that shopping earlier in the moon."

A heavy weight settled itself in his stomach. What was he going to do?

"Thank you," he mumbled and walked out of the shop.

He threw his hood back on and checked a few other shops, careful to not show his face. They all directed him to Mort's Hard-Were. There was no luck for him today.

He ran out of places to visit and sat down on stone steps overlooking the dreary Knockturn Alley. There were even more people milling around now. He should get out of here, he was a danger to them all, but where would he go?

He put his face in his hands and took a moment, trying to not think about anything, hoping the ringing in his ears would go away. He hated his cursed condition. He hated his life.

Someone tapped on his shoulder and he startled, making his hood fall off. He scrambled to pick it back up and was relieved it was only the bald girl from the shop.

"You're still here? It's getting awfully close to the full moon, isn't it?"

"I should go," he whispered and looked around himself, unsure of what to do now, "somewhere…"

She chewed her gum loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I can help you."

He blinked at her and stuttered, "You… you can? How?"

She smirked at him. "I have a plan. Wait here."

She patted his arm and ran back to the shop without any further explanations.

He sat there, stumped and unsure of his next step. Trusting her could be disastrous, he should really try to get as far as he could from everyone, but some innate instinct was telling him that she was sincere, that she really could help him.

And so he waited, avoiding eye contact with any of the Alley visitors and tried to remain unnoticed.

He waited until his feet hurt and the crawling under his skin increased to alarming intensity. He waited until a sad thought hit him: what if she set him up? What if she wanted him to turn into a wolf right here on the street, attack innocent people, kill?

"She's not coming," he said and hung his head in shame.

He fell for a trick and lost the precious little time he had. It was too late now.

Remus stared at his shoes and worried about what he was going to do, estimating that there was less than an hour left. The moon was growing in strength and for the first time in his life, he had no plan.

He couldn't go home. He couldn't bear the thought of endangering his parents. If he had more time, he could try to make his way to Hogwarts. The Shrieking Shack was very good at containing him. But - surprise - he did not have the time.

This was it. Tonight was the night. He would rather die than hurt somebody in his wolf form. He just had to find someone to do it for him.

'You've lived for seventeen years,' he thought to himself, trying to find the courage, '- longer than anyone would have expected of you.'

He always knew it was going to end this way. Life wasn't worth living when you were a werewolf.

Someone tapped on his shoulder and he jumped up, startled.

"You came!" He grabbed the petite girl's arm, trying to make sure that he wasn't imagining her there.

The shopkeeper's daughter tilted her shaved head and pursed her lips. "You think I'd leave you here? If you turned while in Knockturn Alley, they'd hunt you down like a stray."

He chuckled nervously and let go of her, feeling awkward at his reaction but relieved beyond measure.

She put out both of her hands, inviting him to hold them.

"Are we going somewhere?"

She winked at him. "It's a surprise."

Remus hated today's surprises but took her hands anyway, not having any other choice but to disapparate with her.

When they reappeared, Remus was immediately hit by the soft smell of damp leaves and greedily breathed in the breeze that ruffled his robes, such a stark contrast to the fetid smells of the Knockturn Alley.

They were surrounded by loosely-spread trees and the only visible establishment was a small log house. He shivered as he felt the moon rise. He had no time to go anywhere else. Did she plan to trap him in the house? Did it have a basement? He really hoped she had some plan.

They quickly made their way to the porch. She took off her denim jacket and threw it on top of a wooden table with her sachet, and then, she surprised him again by slipping out of her shoes and jeans.

He looked around, everywhere but at her, and rubbed his neck, unsure of what was going on. Did he misunderstand her earlier? Just what exactly did she invite him for? Sure, she was pretty, but this was hardly the time for romance. He didn't even know her name!

"What are you waiting for?" she said while throwing her jeans onto the table. "It's almost time. Can't you feel it?"

She stood in front of him, wearing only her oversized T-shirt, rolled her shoulders and closed her eyes and it only now hit him that he completely missed the biggest surprise. She was a werewolf too!

His body tensed as he felt the moon and he quickly caught on.

"Where are we going to go?" he said with worry while getting out of his robes.

"There are no humans for miles," she said while wincing, already feeling the change. "We'll run together."

Remus fell on his knees as the transformation started coming over him and tried to take off as many clothes as he could, though he had a feeling, he would rip through some of it.

"But won't we fight each other? I don't want to hurt you."

"I won't fight you," she said while getting onto her fours, her body already changing. "I think my wolf will like you."

Remus struggled to stay conscious. There was so much more he wanted to ask her, but talking became difficult. He managed to utter only one.

"What's your name?"

The moon fully emerged through the clearing and Remus did not get the chance to hear if she answered as his wolf took over.

In the deep wild forest, far from the curious human eyes, two wolves sang to the moon, nuzzled each other and ran into the forest to start their adventure.


	2. Knocking On Heaven's Door

**Part 2. Knocking On Heaven's Door**

Heaven smelled good.

Remus did not immediately open his eyes, wanting to prolong the comfortable feeling which blanketed him. It felt like what Heaven was promised to be.

Birds sang around him, and he gladly listened to what they had to say. They were jealous, wanting to feel as divine as he did. But this was his private Heaven.

Gentle summer breeze caressed his bare skin, and he breathed it in deeply. It carried the aroma of damp foliage, fresh dirt and a sweet scent which had to be flowers.

He readjusted the arm under his face and noticed that the surface under his hand was squishy. Maybe he should investigate it, but at the moment, he was in such bliss, it just didn't seem important. Who cared if Heaven was squishy. It was Heaven.

Someone chuckled, disturbing his bliss. Who dared knock on his Heaven's door?

"Should I come back later?" a girl asked and Remus reluctantly opened his eyes.

A teenage girl around his age with a shaved head and many ear piercings stared down at him. He frowned, trying to remember where he knew her from. He was sure he'd seen her before but her name completely escaped him.

She threw a bundle of something at him and he became aware that she was standing over him because he was laying on the ground.

He raised his head and looked around. They were in a forest, surrounded by trees and nothing else.

He glanced down at the bundle she threw at him and was shocked to find that he was stark-naked.

Naked?

He scrambled to cover himself and she chuckled at him.

"Do you mind?" he complained, wondering how much she'd seen.

She rolled her eyes and turned her back on him where she stood with crossed arms.

With trembling hands, he unpacked the bundle and was happy to find clothes. The long-sleeved shirt, wizard robe, and shoes were his but the sweatpants were not.

"Are you decent now?" she asked with a chuckle and turned around, not waiting for his answer.

His face was probably tomato-red at this point and he stared at the ground, trying to figure out how he found himself in this ridiculous situation. Who was she anyway?

He took a long breath and decided to brave it out. There was no point in feeling further embarrassed.

He tried to get up but his legs felt like jelly and he immediately sat back down with a grunt.

_This_ feeling he was well familiar with. He always felt this weak after a transformation.

He was starting to remember. He discovered at the last minute that he needed new chains. He couldn't find any in time before the full moon came but the shopkeeper's daughter said she would help him.

She sat down next to him and sighed.

"You were fighting the change. If you accept it, recovery won't feel as bad."

He didn't know what to answer. In fact, this recovery wasn't as bad as it usually was. Besides the fatigue, he felt great. He didn't have any of the self-inflicted wounds he normally woke up with and did not feel the sickness which sometimes knocked him out for a couple of days.

It was his first time running free with another werewolf. He didn't know it would make such a great difference.

"I'm Remus," he offered his hand and smiled, "but my friends call me Moony."

She rolled her eyes but shook his hand. "Only humans would give you a nickname that stupid."

"They're good friends," he said with a shrug. He never minded the nickname anyway.

"You should hang around your kind more. I'm Marta."

He gladly shook her hand but felt uneasy about her statement. Everything that he ever heard of other werewolves made him not want to be a part of that world. He didn't want to be like them or hang around them.

After taking a few minutes to rest, he followed her to a nearby log house, where she used the Floo powder to transport them back to her father's shop.

Remus looked around the cluttered store curiously. Mort's Hard-Were was a destination shop for werewolves and yet he felt out of place. Most of the items sold there celebrated the lycan condition. He did not appreciate that sentiment.

"So, Marta. Could you order those enchanted chains for me?"

She sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "You don't need them."

"Yes, I do."

"You're really going to chain yourself?"

He looked at his shoes and swayed on his feet. Why did he have to explain himself to her? Why did she care? He couldn't risk running free the way she did. He still had no assurance that he didn't attack anyone last night. He couldn't repeat that exercise.

"No. I'll lock myself in the basement and my parents will chain the door. It's the best way to contain me."

She shook her head and looked as if he had just told her that someone died. "That must drive your wolf crazy. Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Are you going to order it or do I have to find another store?"

She put her hands on her hips. "I'll order it but under one condition."

"What is it?"

She looked him up and down and a little smile played on her lips. He had a bad feeling about this.

"You will spend the next weekend with my family. It's time you learned how real werewolves live."

What was he? An imaginary werewolf? At least she didn't demand anything ridiculous. For a good set of chains, it was worth it to sacrifice one weekend.

He agreed to her offer and shook on it, glad that it wasn't anything worse than that.

A weekend with a werewolf pack.

How bad could it be?


	3. What's wrong with being confident?

_A/N: This chapter was written with a prompt: Must include words: "What's wrong with being confident?" and Demi Levato's "Confident" music video._

* * *

**Part 3. What's wrong with being confident?**

Peter burst into the room and shouted, "They're gonna duel!"

Remus exchanged a look with Lily and they all ran outside.

James and Sirius stood ten feet apart and already in dueling stances, pointing wands at each other.

"You won't get away with this," James said.

"It wasn't me, you idiot!" Sirius spat back at him.

"I know what I saw! This is the last time I invite you to my house, you mutt!"

Lily leaned towards Peter. "What are they fighting about?"

"No idea," Peter answered with a grin and drummed his fingers against each other.

Remus sighed as he watched his friends throw the first battle spells. "Do I have to intervene?"

Why did he always have to be a mediator?

"Nah." Lily shrugged. "Let them work it out."

James sent a series of jinxes at his friend. "YOU," he missed, "DISGUSTING," he missed, "HAIRY," he missed, "MONGREL!"

The last one made contact and Sirius flew back to land on his butt with a grunt.

Peter cheered. "Go get 'im, James!"

Sirius got up. "You need to get your eyes checked. That wasn't me!" and he delivered a jinx which hit the boy with a flash of light.

James flapped his arms vigorously as if they were wings and tried to respond with more spells, but they all sounded like duck quacks which rendered them useless.

Sirius walked away from his quacking friend. "Maybe next time, he'll think better than to duel me."

James quacked with an intensity that sounded like swearing.

Lily shook her head at him. "Sirius, don't undo the jinx until he calms down." She turned back to Remus. "Now, Remus, I want to hear the rest of the story."

Remus hoped he could drop the subject. He wanted to share the news with Lily but the boys were going to be impossible. He didn't want to have that conversation with them.

"I'd rather hear what this fight was about."

James quacked and pursed his lips in anger.

Sirius ruffled his overgrown hair. "He accused me of peeing on his broomstick."

"WHAT?" Remus and Lily shouted in disbelief.

"He said he saw me turn into a dog and pee on his broom. Seriously. You think I would do that?"

James started flapping his arms in an argument.

"Quack all you want. It wasn't me!"

Remus covered his mouth but then couldn't stop the outburst of laughter. He pointed at the other side of the yard where a big black dog was sniffing a tree.

"See?" Sirius said, pointing at the dog with both hands. "Not me!"

James stared at the dog and then at Sirius, and quacked in defeat.

Lily smacked him in the back of the head.

"Why'd you hit him?" Peter complained.

"He deserved it." She turned to Remus. "Now that that's cleared up, tell me about the werewolf girl."

"A werewolf girl?" Sirius said and whistled. "I want to hear _that_."

James quacked and put his arms in his pockets to stop them from flapping.

"I'll help you, James," Peter said and pulled out his wand.

"_Finite Incantatem_," he said but it didn't work because now, James sprouted feathers from his fingers. "Oh… Sorry."

"Come on, Remus," Sirius said, ignoring James' increased quacking. "Who is this wolfgirl?"

Oh, to hell with it. They wouldn't drop it until he gave them something.

"She's just a friend."

Lily smiled like she was daydreaming. "Is she pretty?"

"I guess so." he shrugged. "But her hair is so short, she's almost bald."

Sirius giggled. "Moony's got a bald girlfriend."

Remus ignored the laughter (and quacking) that followed and figured he might as well get this over with.

"She's got a bunch of silver earrings in both ears and likes to dress in denim. She is a witch but I've never seen her at Hogwarts so I'm guessing that she was homeschooled. She has this annoying habit of chewing gum with her mouth open."

Remus shifted on his feet and decided to skip the story of how he ran with her during the full moon. They would never stop with their "girlfriend" jokes if he told them.

"More. Tell us more."

"She gets rude and bossy sometimes," he added, running out of things to say. "For such a petite girl, she's pretty confident."

"Oooh." Sirius sucked in air through his teeth as if he heard something cringy.

James shook his head and quacked as if he heard bad news.

Lily huffed. "What's wrong with being confident?"

Sirius and James exchanged a look.

Lily put her hands on her hips. "Is it because she's a girl? Girls are not allowed to be confident?"

Sirius scratched his shaggy head. "Maybe we should talk about this later."

"No, tell me now!"

Sirius snuck a glance at Remus but then back at the girl. "Well, aren't wolves all about hierarchy? Alpha, beta, et cetera?"

"And?"

"Well, she sounds like an alpha."

Lily furrowed her brows and looked between the four of them. "And?"

"And Remus…" Sirius didn't finish but Remus already knew what he was going to say.

Remus had no alpha qualities. He didn't even have a pack which suited him fine. He didn't want any part of the werewolf culture and didn't care about their hierarchies.

He never gave it much thought about what type of werewolf he was and it bothered him that Sirius appeared to have already made up his mind about it.

He was ready to change the topic so he took his wand out and cast _Finite Incantatem_ on James, removing the feathers and stopping the arm-flapping.

"Thank you," James said though it still sounded a little quacky. He cleared his throat and put his arms around Sirius and Remus. "Sorry about earlier, Sirius. That dog really looked like you. And Remus," he squeezed his shoulder, "don't be too bummed about the alpha-wolf girl. Maybe she'll like you anyway."

Wasn't it neat how the one thing they agreed on was his wolf status?

"She's only a friend anyway," Remus said. "So it doesn't matter."

Sirius clapped him on the back, "You say that a lot."


	4. The house of wolf

_A/N: No writing prompts for this chapter. Ha! There's hope for me yet._

* * *

**Part 4: The house of wolf**

You should never walk into a house full of werewolves.

Werewolves can not be trusted. They're fearsome, soulless, evil beasts who only masquerade as humans for the majority of the lunar month. Upon transformation, they entirely lose their sense of right or wrong and can kill their family and friends when given the opportunity.

That's what everyone said.

Remus's heart pounded as he stood at the entrance of the large rustic Tudor-style house - home of a werewolf pack. Green vines climbed the red bricks and the brown timber which decorated the windows and the gables.

His hand hesitated on the crescent-moon shaped knocker. He agreed to this. It was a part of the deal.

'Don't be an embarrassment to Gryffindors, Remus,' he told himself.

It was time to be brave and meet the pack.

He tightened his grip on the knocker and lifted it, but the door opened at that moment and he was pulled inside.

"You can't catch me," a young shirtless boy shouted while holding the door handle and looking behind him.

He squealed, ran outside and was soon followed by an older shirtless boy who jumped over the stairs and pursued him.

Remus watched them as they chased each other in the yard and could feel a smile building on his face. He wished he had siblings.

"You must be Remus!" a pixie-sized woman was suddenly in front of him with her hands on her hips. "You like our knocker?"

Remus checked, and sure, he was still holding the crescent moon. He let go and tried to chuckle the embarrassment away.

"It's nice workmanship."

She leaned her head outside, yelled, "STAY OUT OF MY GARDEN!" at the laughing boys and closed the heavy door.

She was one of the shortest women he's ever met, not even reaching up to his armpits, but she seemed to make up for her small stature with the strength of her voice.

"They pull the carrots out too early and then I have to replant them," she explained and pushed the stupored Remus into the house in the direction of wherever the delicious aroma of baked chicken was coming from. "It's not good for the carrots."

A stocky but short, balding man stood behind the stove in the small kitchen and sampled whatever was in a pot with a spoon. Remus recognized him. It was Mort, the owner of Mort's Hard-Were Shop.

Mort turned around. His "Kiss my snout" apron must have been shop merchandise. "Do I know you?"

"That's Remus, Marta's running mate."

What did she mean by that?

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Mort complained.

Remus didn't even get a chance to look around before more people walked in.

"I can't find my glasses," a frail, elderly man said while rummaging through the drawers. "It's that darn dog again."

"How much longer, mom?" said an older teen, a head taller than the woman, though still shorter than Remus, and walked up to the stove where several pots were on the burners. He dipped his finger into one and she smacked his hand.

He noticed Remus and narrowed his eyes on him.

She turned with a smile. "Remus, meet my eldest, Oliver. Ollie, it will be ready in five minutes. Get everyone here."

Oliver walked out and slightly leaned in as he was passing by Remus. Did he just sniff him?

"It's nice to meet you," Remus said weakly, wondering if this was some strange werewolf greeting. Would all of them start sniffing him? He did not like that idea.

Oliver said nothing but walked away.

"Don't just stand there, boy," the old man addressed Remus and gesticulated loudly. "Help me look!"

Remus looked to the short woman for help but she was focused on helping with the meal right now. The old man nudged him and so he looked around the kitchen.

There was so much stuff everywhere. The counter was filled with plates, pots, food ingredients, abandoned utensils, jars and boxes of various sizes. Trying to find anything among the mess would be next to impossible.

Then, Oliver came back with two large dogs, which started barking at Remus, and the shirtless boys who shoved each other.

"Luca, Johny, wash your hands NOW!" the pixie woman yelled at the youngsters over the noise and they fought for who could get to the sink first. She pushed Remus into a chair and continued giving instructions. "Ollie, would you feed Sam and Boss? Where's Marta?"

The teen loaded two large bowls with food from another pot. The dogs left Remus and ran over to the food.

Marta joined the overcrowded room, helped set up and sat down next to Remus.

"Hi," she said and stuffed her mouth with bread.

"Did you remember your teeth, gramps?" Oliver asked.

"Jumping gizzards, my teeth!"

The old man left and the rest of the family sat down and talked over each other, arguing who was serving which dish.

"Who's that?" the youngest boy asked after sitting across from Remus and biting into a chicken leg.

"That, dear Johnny, is Marta's new boyfriend," Oliver said and gave her a little shove.

Not this again. Remus could feel his cheeks start to burn.

The other boy, who had to be Luca, stared at Remus with a strange intensity, making him look away.

"He's terribly awful at finding things," the old man was back, sat down next to Remus and put his prosthesis in.

"Evelyn," the old man addressed the pixie woman, "you're not giving your only daughter to him, are you? He can't even find my glasses."

"Have you checked your pockets, pa?" she asked.

He slipped his trembling hand in the pocket of his cardigan and pulled them out. "That's where you put it," he said accusingly. "I'm telling you, it's these dogs."

"When did Marta get a new boyfriend?" Johnny asked with his mouth full.

"He's just a friend," Marta said but then she turned to Remus with a wicked smile. "Although, our wolves hit it off so we should just get this over with and complete the Sacred Mating Ritual."

"Oh, that changes everything," Mort said. "The Sacred Mating Ritual needs to be completed immediately."

Remus had a hard time keeping up with this conversation.

"What do you mean by 'our wolves hit it off'?" he asked Marta.

"I knew it. You don't remember. Why do you think you were in such a good mood when you woke up?"

Remus' breath caught. He whispered, "Our wolves… did it?"

She chuckled and nodded. "You're my running mate now."

She ignored his shocked expression and bit into her chicken leg. "Since our wolves are mated for life now, we should just seal the deal. We can do it today."

"You two look so sweet together," the mother said with a sigh and added in a chirpy voice, "I got your room ready, Marta. You can go up whenever you're in the mood."

"Your taste is questionable, Marta," the old man said.

Remus wished they would all shut up so he could think straight. Were they implying what he thought they were? Did his wolf sign him into some contract? Did he have a choice?

"Watch out," Oliver said. "She bites."

"I do not!"

Johny threw a small piece of bread at Remus to get his attention. "What is it like?"

"You're too young!" Luca said.

"Am not! I want to hear it. No one wants to talk about it."

Luca shook his head at Remus. "Don't tell him."

The old man leaned in so closely, Remus could smell the moth-repelling pellets strongly wafting off of his cardigan.

"It's your big day," he whispered and laughed heartily. "Are you excited?"

Remus wanted to hide under the table. This wasn't happening. What was wrong with these people?

"I've had enough of waiting," Marta said while getting up. "Let's finish what our wolves started."

He swallowed loudly and felt as if he was permanently glued to his chair. Did she mean _now_?

She looked at him expectantly and raised her eyebrows. "Are you coming?" Then, she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Or do I have to do this on my own? Because I'd rather have company."

He shrank down in his chair. This wasn't fair. He wasn't even sure if he liked her that way yet. Now he was forced to be bonded to her for life? And this ritual. He wanted to know what mess his wolf got him into.

"You better take good care of my daughter," Mort said while shaking a finger at him.

"Why is he waiting?" Johnny asked. "I thought he would want to do it."

"I'm telling you. Poor choice," grandpa complained.

"If it were me, I'd just drag him to my room," Luca said enthusiastically.

"Maybe he doesn't like her so much," Oliver said.

"Oh, Marta. Did you do something to turn him off?" Evelyn scolded.

"If you don't like her, I'm available," Luca winked at him.

"Luca! You're fourteen!"

"And three quarters!"

"How old are you anyway, Remus?" Mort asked.

"That's enough talking." Marta pulled Remus out of the chair. "I swear, it will be fun."

He felt absolutely lost. Maybe if he just spoke with her he could clear this up. She was reasonable, right?

"He doesn't say much, does he?" grandpa said. "Is he a mute?"

"He's so tall," Luca said, his head in his hand. "I want a tall boyfriend."

"This one's mine," Marta snapped.

He was conflicted. He very much wanted to leave this chaos but did not feel safe to stay alone with her. There had to be a way out.

"Have fun, kids," Evelyn and Mort said together while waving from their chairs.

Marta looked him in the eye, sucked in both of her lips, held her breath and exploded in loud laughter. The rest of the family immediately joined. Oliver hit the table with his fist repeatedly.

"The look on your face!" Marta said, among the giggles.

"This was priceless," Johnny said and high-fived Luca.

"He looked like he was ready to bolt," Mort joked.

Evelyn put a hand on her husband's. "We got him so good."

Remus looked to Marta for help.

"It was a joke," she said, holding his arm with one hand and rubbing it with the other. "You can breathe again. No need to panic. You're not getting lucky tonight."

Remus' head throbbed. A joke? It didn't seem funny.

"He looks rather disappointed," Oliver said.

"We were joking?" grandpa asked.

The family continued replaying each of Remus' reactions and he felt ridiculous. He couldn't believe that he fell for it. But which part of it was a joke?

"Can I speak with you?" he asked Marta quietly. "In private."

The family was still laughing at his expense as she pulled him through a door on the other side of the house that opened up to the backyard.

"Dibs on the swing!"

She ran across the grass in her bare feet and jumped onto it. He leaned on the swing's metal post and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you okay?" she said, kicking off and swaying slightly.

"Just a headache."

The old metal squeaked slightly. Dogs barked in the distance and the dogs in the house replied. Mort's house was on the outskirts of town and so they didn't have immediate neighbors, just trees swaying to the wind.

He wasn't sure how to ask her, it was all so ridiculous, but at this point, he just wanted to know what happened.

"Marta, when we were wolves, did we really…"

She giggled. "No. That was part of the joke."

He felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders. He rarely remembered anything past the transformation nowadays and he'd think something like that would be memorable. When he was younger, he used to remember his transformations well but with time, it all became more and more blurry. He thought it was an age thing but it seemed to not be the case for her.

"But our wolves did like each other." She kicked the earth while swinging, creating a small dust cloud. "I knew we'd get along."

He looked at her sideways. "But there was still the risk of our wolves not getting along, right?"

She pursed her lips and looked down at the ground. "I used to run with Mort and Oliver when we were younger. He's the only of Mort's children to have inherited the magic and the wolf, by the way. As we got older though, we started to clash. My wolf got pretty territorial."

Remus sighed, remembering an earlier conversation with his friends. "You're an alpha."

She shrugged and shook her head. "Mort is more an alpha if you look at it from that point of view but my wolf has become rebellious. So, Mort and Oliver run together now, they're like a pack I suppose, and I run separately to avoid that conflict."

This didn't exactly make him feel any better. As soon as she met him, she sensed that he wasn't an alpha, that he wouldn't fight her for dominance and would therefore be safe to run with. Wasn't that peachy that she thought so lowly of him when she didn't even know him?

But then, she was right, wasn't she? They didn't fight. His wolf was a submissive wuss.

Remus pushed those thoughts aside. He didn't care what type of wolf he was. He didn't want to be any wolf.

"Your family is nothing like what I imagined."

"What did you imagine?"

He shrugged, unsure of how to say it without offending her.

She leaned back on the swing. "Did you expect a bunch of big, burly, aggressive hot-heads who growl at each other?"

"Your brothers do have an aversion to clothes."

She was going to say something but then burst out laughing. "You're not wrong there but that's just them being silly. The rest of us like our clothes on, thank you very much. Besides, they're not even wolves."

"I'm pretty sure that Oliver sniffed me in greeting."

"And? That's how wolves get to know each other." She pointed a finger at him. "You sniffed me very thoroughly when we shifted."

"That doesn't count!"

"Just because you refuse to remember, it doesn't mean it didn't happen."

He wanted to argue that they shouldn't act like wolves when they were human but bit it back, not wanting an argument.

The dogs finally stopped barking and Marta relaxed on the swing, letting the momentum slow down.

Only now he remembered what she had said earlier. "Did you say that Oliver is the only one that inherited the wolf? You're not Mort's daughter?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm adopted, Sherlock."

He smiled, feeling stupid for not figuring that out. She didn't look like any of them, though she did fit the height requirement.

She jumped off the swing and rubbed her hands.

"Let's go back. I'm still hungry."

* * *

After a very filling dinner, the family sat down to play Monopoly. Luca won and celebrated by showering them all with his paper money. Remus helped clean it up with a spell - he was rather surprised that neither Mort, Oliver or Marta thought of pulling out their wands - and Luca looked in awe at the bills neatly arrange themselves as if he'd never seen magic before.

In the evening, they lit a bonfire and roasted sausages on sticks. They never seemed to quiet down, there was drama and laughter throughout the entire day, to the point that Remus started to get used to the chaos.

When the time for bed came, Remus was shown to Oliver's room where a sofa-bed was prepared for him.

He slept like a baby after that busy day and woke up in a good mood, wondering what Marta planned for today.

He used a spell to fold the sheets and blankets, wanting to be a neat guest when he heard Oliver's comment.

"Luca's not here to cheer you on. You can stop showing off now."

Remus turned to him, wondering if he misheard.

"Unless you enjoy rubbing it in."

"What am I rubbing in?"

Oliver scoffed and turned away, leaving Remus very confused.

Marta opened the door and hung in the doorframe, chewing gum again.

"You dressed yet? Let's go!" She pulled him out of the room without waiting for a response. "Wolf Games await."


End file.
